16 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Ô ON THE TOWN Ô SECTION 7 Ô FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008 C

Alan Artner In the Galleries

Arnaldo Roche showed paintingsat the Chicago Public Library Cul-tural Center in the heyday of NeoExpressionism more than 20 yearsago. Now he is back at the ChicagoCultural Center with recent workslarger and more open about theirlinks to the expressionism of Vin-cent van Gogh than ever, and it is ahappy return for the native ofPuerto Rico who once made hishome here.

The works take in Van Gogh, thechildhood death of Roche’s brother,9/11 and the 2004 Asian tsunami.Not all of the influences are equallyclear. However, quotations fromVan Gogh paintings and drawingsare fully assimilated into Roche’soverpowering style, which is basedin the technique of frottage orrubbing.

Always large, the paintings arenow truly monumental, and someon view have the technique but notthe pictorial incident to sustaininterest at that size. Still, as it wasin the ’80s, this has remained dis-tinctive, personal work that suc-ceeds in stimulating viewers with-out recourse to either popularculture or a “conceptual” program.

At 78 E. Washington St. 312-744-6630.

Last month the InternationalSculpture Center in San Franciscogave Fletcher Benton a lifetimeachievement award, and now, inChicago, the 77-year-old master ofoutdoor work receives a strongsmall show of maquettes, prints,tabletop and wall pieces at the JeanAlbano Gallery.

Some of the pieces are homagesto Wassily Kandinsky and particu-larly his later, hard-edged geo-metric abstractions. This suggeststhe tradition with which Bentonidentifies, but it is not the fullstory. Benton’s major contributionshave been free-standing pieces withthe economy of folded-paper cut-outs and a series of works that defygravity even as it celebrates inher-

ent qualities of steel and bronze.Both are represented here.

Less well-known are the wallpieces called “Steel Paintings” inwhich some of Benton’s three-dimensional components arebrought together, again sometimesprecariously, with incised geo-metric painted forms. These, too,are persuasive, though much moresober than the selections from“The Steel Watercolor Series,” aseries of multiples that substan-tially lightens through balancealone a persisting modern current.

At 215 W. Superior St. 312-440-0770.

Brian Ulrich’s show of a series ofphotographs on thrift stores inDecember 2006, suggested that hiscontinuing protest of Americanconsumerism perhaps needed to goupscale, into the auction housesand galleries dedicated to our cul-ture of money. Now, Ulrich andJason Lazarus exhibit works in theCity Gallery at the Historic WaterTower that were in fact taken at theWright auction house in Chicago,but they serve neither the art pic-tured nor the cause of makinganyone more aware of the emptycycle of acquisition.

When, say, Walker Evans andCharles Sheeler were commis-sioned to shoot art objects, theworks received such superfinetreatment that the photo imagescould stand in for a first-handviewing experience. Here, however,the Wright commission, which wassaid to give the photographers fullaccess to the facilities, has beenfulfilled by Lazarus undercuttingthe art when he pictures it at alland Ulrich drawing away from thesocial commentary that is his moti-vation and forte.

Lazarus addresses only indi-rectly works by Ad Reinhardt, EdRuscha, Sol LeWitt, Jenny Holzer,

Donald Judd and Jasper Johns.The single piece shot head on isPhilippe Halsman’s photograph ofMarilyn Monroe as Mao TseTung—and its treatment is toostupid for words. Ulrich beginsmore promisingly in Wright’sbackroom and studio—an image ofpairs of sconces and chairs is chill-ing—but is diverted into coy por-traits inspired by paintings andextreme closeups of upholstery.

At 806 N. Michigan Ave. 312-742-0808.

At the height of the modernmovement, it often was said thatsubject matter in painting countedfor little. Of course, no one askedviewers, who always are attractedto some subjects and not others,depending on personal makeup.But in those years such was thepressure to “go beyond” subjectmatter that even fairly sophisti-cated viewers would pretend not tonotice, as when a gay collector inChicago feigned surprise to aninterviewer who remarked that theonly nudes he owned were ofmales.

Nowadays, things are different.More than 20 years of emphasis onsexual, racial and political themes

have reopened the way for lesscharged content as well, and repre-sentational artists again areknown as much for their subjectmatter as how they set it down. Anexample is Christina Body’s largeexhibition of paintings at the Pal-ette & Chisel Academy of FineArts, which includes landscapesand marine studies but nonethe-less marks her as a painter of thecity and, specifically, Chicago.

Body addresses both landmarksand nondescript buildings, occa-sionally from the high viewpointsfavored by early moderns. Somepieces emphasize the spaces be-tween structures, others celebratethe overlooked poetry of creationssuch as the expressway, still otherscapture seasonal atmosphere in anurban setting. The landscapes andboating pictures are no less ablethan the others, but the overridingsubject is Chicago, and in a worksuch as “Bend,” it holds a strongattraction. (To view the artist’simages, visit www.christinabo-dy.com.)

At 1012 N. Dearborn St. 312-642-4400.

aartner@tribune.com

Roche’s works grow larger in size if not in scope

Arnaldo Roche’s The Garden of Intolerance: In the End, Like Fathers, Like Madmen or Like Heroes (triptych).

Roche’s works, including I Saw theStars Falling, Under Vincent’s Flow-ers (triptych), is on display at theChicago Public Library CulturalCenter through June 22.

EXHIBITIONS

Arnaldo Roche at the Chicago PublicLibrary Cultural Center through June22

Fletcher Benton at Jean AlbanoGallery through July 5

Brian Ulrich and Jason Lazarus atthe City Gallery at the Historic WaterTower through Aug. 3

Christina Body at the Palette & Chis-el Academy of Fine Arts through May26

Puerto Rico native’s linksto the expressionism ofVan Gogh more evident

midtown.com

6 sessions $105 Starts May 31

Midtown’s patented Tennis in No Time® is

designed to turn beginners into tennis players

in just three weeks. You’ll enjoy six lessons

with our certified professionals, plus free

use of the club throughout your session.

A variety of convenient lesson times are

available, and if you don’t have a racquet

we’ll lend you one of ours. Best of all, the

entire package is only $105. Become a

player – learn Tennis in No Time!

Call today to reserve your spot at

one of our five Chicagoland clubs.

Space is limited.

CHICAGO

2020 W. Fullerton Ave.

773.235.2300

HYDE PARK

1301 E. 47th St.

773.924.9889

PALATINE

1760 N. Hicks Rd.

847.991.4646

BANNOCKBURN

2211 Waukegan Rd.

847.945.1818

WILLOWBROOK

215 W. 63rd St.

630.325.8888

Make It

a Special Day With

RESTAURANT

“The Original” Restaurant

6181 N. Lincoln Ave.

Chicago, IL 60659 (the original)

773.583.3050 We Now Deliver To Your Door.

www.theoriginalwhatscooking.com

OPEN Memorial Day Monday May 26, 2008 Come and enjoy the best “BBQ Baby Back Ribs” in the

Northside of Chicago. Unlike other businesses, our

prices, and quality have remained the same. We now

deliver to your door. Call for details and area’s.

Product: CTOTT PubDate: 05-23-2008 Zone: C Edition: FRI Page: ACARTS-16 User: eepolzak Time: 05-21-2008 20:27 Color: CMYK